SYNLawn Transforms Costa Rican School with Sustainable Child-Safe Playground Turf

San José, Costa Rica — Escuela Justo Antonio Facio is a public school located in the city center of San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Space on the school’s property is limited, so they needed an expert landscaping design and installation team to transform their narrow concrete patio into a safe and sustainable child-safe playground for its students to enjoy. SYNLawn Costa Rica was selected to renovate the existing outdoor space with the installation of premium playground surfacing to create an improved recreational environment.

Building a Sustainable Child-Safe Playground for Students

The SYNLawn Costa Rica team installed approximately 2,300 square feet of SYNSport turf with an AirDrain base to build the upgraded play space. SYNSport is the ideal choice of synthetic surfacing for outdoor play areas, and it comes in five color options. The team used three color variations of the turf to create a fun and aesthetically pleasing playground for the students.

In addition to providing superior resiliency and support, SYNSport is one of the safest turf products available on the market. Unlike the concrete surfacing that once covered the space, artificial turf has proven to reduce injury related to falls since it absorbs the shock, which helps lessen the impact. This is important for a school playground since more than 200,000 kids end up in the emergency room yearly due to playground injuries. ASTM International, the international organization that developed safety standards for public playgrounds, also rated SYNSport for its built-in safety features. SYNSport has the following ASTM ratings:

• ASTM D2859 — standard test method for ignition characteristics of finished textile floor covering materials.
• ASTM E108 — standard test methods for fire tests of roof coverings.
• ASTM E648 — standard test method for critical radiant flux of floor-covering systems using a radiant heat energy source.
• ASTM F1292 — standard specification for impact attenuation of surfacing materials within the use zone of playground equipment.
• ASTM F1551 — standard test methods for comprehensive characterization of synthetic turf playing surfaces and materials.
• ASTM F1951 — standard specification for determination of accessibility of surface systems under and around playground equipment.

SYNSport is also a more sustainable surfacing option since it’s made with SYNLawn’s exclusive plant-based EnviroLoc+™ backing system, which replaces up to 60% of the petroleum-based polyol with renewable soybeans. The school will also reduce water usage and save money on lawn maintenance since synthetic turf does not require watering or mowing.

This was a rewarding project for SYNLawn Costa Rica. The children who attend this public school do not have access to the amenities of private schools, so it was important to create a dream child-safe playground that will encourage physical activity and creativity and provide mental health benefits.

Select SYNLawn to Transform Your Outdoor Space

This playground installation is a great example of the hundreds of residential and commercial projects our expert design and installation teams have worked on. Our dedicated teams have the skills to transform any outdoor space to bring your project vision to life. For more information and a free estimate, contact your nearest SYNLawn distributor.